TWENTIETH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART VIII 691 



fell some place in the State every day except the 25th. Downpours on the 

 23d damaged roads and railways and eroded and flooded fields In portions 

 of Shelby, Audubon, Guthrie, Carroll and Greene Counties. Heavy rains 

 occurred in many sections on the 7th and 9th. Precipitation was above 

 normal in all but Lee and Des Moines Counties, the greatest excesses, 5 to 

 nearly 7 inches, being in Adair and Cass counties. 



A small tornado struck about two miles south of Grandmound, Clintou 

 County, on the afternoon of the 23d, but damage was confined to trees and 

 small buildings. The Omaha tornado of the 6th seems to have done no 

 material damage after crossing the Missouri river. 



Field work was greatly delayed by the frequent rains and wet soil, not 

 more than 5 or 6 days being suitable. Not more than 60 per cent of the 

 intended oats acreage had been seeded up to the close of the month and 

 much that was seeded before the heavy rains set in on the 7th lay uncov- 

 ered on the ground and thus germinated without the possibility of disking 

 or harrowing. Considerable of the pledged and Intended spring wheat 

 acreage could not be seeded and will be devoted to other crops, mostly com. 

 Winter wheat stooled freely, made rank growth and was a foot high and 

 beginning to joint in the southern counties. It was feared that the rank 

 growth would cause it to lodge and that the indicated excess of straw 

 would reduce the yield of grain. Pasturing and clipping with mowers was 

 resorted to in some localities. Only about 40 per cent of the spring plow- 

 ing was done and practically no corn planting. Blooming of fruit trees 

 was beneficially retarded, though in the southern tier of counties the blos- 

 soms opened and received the first spray. The wet, cloudy weather was 

 detrimental to the pig crop. Sunshine averaged 44 per cent of the pos- 

 sible amount or 16 per cent below normal. 



Pressure. The mean pressure, (reduced to sea level), for the State 

 was 29.97 inches. The highest recorded was 30.66 Inches, at Sioux City 

 on the 24th, and the lowest was 29.23 Inches at Omaha, Nebr., on the 6th. 

 The monthly range was 1.43 inches. 



Temperature. The mean temperature for the State, as sliown by the 

 records of 103 stations, was 48.4°, or 0.3° lower thanuormal. By divisions, 

 three tiers of counties to the division, the means were as follows: North- 

 ern, 46.5°, or 0.2° lower than the normal; Central, 48.7° or 0.2° lower than 

 the normal; Southern, 50.0°, or 0.6° lower than the normal. The highest 

 monthly mean was 52.9° at Keokuk, and the lowest was 43.8°, at North- 

 wood. The highest temperature reported was 81°, at Fairfield on the 6th, 

 and the lowest was 20° at Fayette, Maquoketa and Earlham, on the 1st. 

 The temperature range for the State was 61°. 



Humidity. The average relative humidity for the State at 7 a. m. was 

 81 per cent; and at 7 p. m. it was 66 per cent. The mean for the month 

 was 74 per cent, or about 7 per cent above the normal. The highest 

 monthly mean was 78 per cent at Omaha, Nebr., and the lowest was 68 

 per cent, at Dubuque. 



Precipitation. The average precipitation for the State, as shown by 

 the records of 109 stations, was 4.78 inches, or 1.92 Inches more than the 



